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Cattails A Survival Dinner

by Green Deane

in Beverage, Edible Raw, Flowers, Greens/Pot Herb, Miscellaneous, Plants, Recipes,

Roots/Tubers/Corms, Salad, Toxic to Pets/livestock

Cattails have many edible parts, top to bottom. Photo by Green Deane

Cattails: Swamp Supermarket

The United States almost won WWII with cattails.

No green plant produces more edible starch per acre than the Cat O Nine Tails; not potatoes,
rice, taros or yams. Plans were underway to feed American soldiers with that starch when WWII
stopped. Lichen, not a green plant, might produce more carbs per acre. One acre of cattails can
produce 6,475 pounds of flour per year on average (Harrington 1972).

Cattail pollen

Two species of cattails are common in North America today. One is Typha latifolia (TYE-fuh
lat-ih-FOH-lee-uh) the other Typha angustifolia (an-gus-tee-FOH-lee-uh.) Typha is from Greek
and means marsh now you how typhoid got its name and Typhoid Mary. Latifolia mean
wide leaf, angustifolia means skinny leaf. Besides that difference, the T. latifolia likes shallower
water, the T. angustifolia deeper water, but it is not unusual to find them living side by side and
also crossbreeding Langustifolia perhaps. Cattails get their name from their mature brown
cylindrical flower spikes. When I was a kid we used to used the dried spikes as torches while
skating in the winter time. The end of season fluffy tails make excellent tinder and the Indians
used them insulation, mattresses and absorption.

There is so much to know about cattails that a book could be written just about them. First, no
other plants in their mature stage look like the cattail, so it is difficult to misidentify. Younger
plants can be misidentified with three toxic ones so always look for last years classic growth to
confirm you have found cattails. Cattail are oval at the base, not flatish. They are also very mild
tasting and without much aroma meaning if what you think youve got is a cattail and it is
strongly flavored and or aromatic not counting the smell of mud youve got the wrong
plant.

Flower spikes when green

It is said that if a lost person has found cattails, they have four of the five things they need to
survive: Water, food, shelter and a source of fuel for heatthe dry old stalks. The one item
missing is companionship. Of course, the other thing to point out is that no matter where the
water flows, down stream is civilization in North, Central and South America. Remember that
when you are lost in the Americas. This does not hold true in Africa or Siberia. Many rivers in
Africa are largest near their source then dry up as the water is used or evaporates. In Siberia
rivers flow north towards the uninhabited arctic.

One Boy Scout motto is You name it and well make it from cattails! Cattails are the
supermarket of the wilds. The young cob-like tips of the plant are edible as is the white bottom
of the stalk, spurs off the main roots and spaghetti like rootlets off the main roots. They have
vitamins A, B,

Cattail lower stalks

and C, potassium and phosphorus. The pollen can be used like flour. I like their convenience as
a trail nibble, or canoe nibble as it were. Just pull on one and where it pulls from the stalk theres
usually a tasty bite or two. I think the best part, though, are the new shoots off the main root.
Theyre start out looking like an alligators tooth then a pointed hook three or four inches long.
The roots themselves need some processing and Ill get to them in a moment.
The Listronotus grub grows larger

Cattails have a surprising function and history. The spread of cattails in a body of water is an
important part of the process of open water being converted to marsh then dry land. They are
native to both North America and Europe. In Europe cattails are called bulrushes or greater reed
mace. Theyre first mentioned meaning mentioned in writing in the United States in the
1830s and at that time were only found along the Atlantic seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico
excluding Texas. They werent even reported in places like Wisconsin until after World War I.
They werent a significant plant in the Dakotas until the 1960s. The native cattail, Typha gracilis,
seems to have all but disappeared, hybridizing with the European version to form the two
species mentioned here. Eastern Indians used cattails extensively, not only for food, but for
hemp and stuffing. In fact, one Indian word for cattails means fruit for papooses bed. The fluff
was used in diapers and for menstruation.

Like most aquatic plants in the area the cattail is also home to a beetle grub that fish like. On a
green cattail look for aon outer leaf that is go brown at the bottom of the leaf and main stalk. You
will find a grub, actually the larval form of an Arrowhead Beetle, of the Listronotus genus. The
size will vary but they do grow big enough for a small hook and fish love them. As a weevil the
grub is also probably edible by humans but I havent got around to trying one. You can find the
same grub in the tops of bulrushes and wapato.

As mentioned earlier, cattails are the champion of starch production. The way you get the starch
is to clean the exterior of the roots and then crush them in clean water and let them sit. The
starch settles to the bottom then one pours off the water. It may take several drain and settle
sessions get rid of the fiber. I sampled the starch raw once and got a bit of a stomach ache.
Once you have just the starch it is excellent for cooking as you would any flour. Getting starch
that way is quite labor intensive. Here are three other ways to get to the root starch:
Clean cattail roots

Dry the peeled roots (peel roots while they are wetthey are difficult to peel when dry). Chop
roots into small pieces, and then pound them wtih a little water. When the long fibers are
removed, the resultant goup powder can be dried and used as flour. The roots also can be
boiled like potatoes then the starch chewed out (spitting away the fibers) or you can also roast
the root in a fire until the outer spongy core is completely black. Then chew the starch off of the
fiber. Dont eat the fiber. It will give you a stomach ache. I know from personal experience. The
advantage of the latter method is no pots or pans are needed. If you have fire and a pond you
have a nutritious meal. You can also put the roots on the barbecue.

Lastly, cattails, Typha latifolia, is suspeced in the fatal poisoning of several horses in Indiana,
one case over 80 years ago. Symptoms included stiffness, disinclination to move, profuse
perspiration, and muscular trembling.

Green Deanes Itemized Plant Profile

IDENTIFICATION: Cattails grow to 9 feet; leaves are strap-like, stiff, spongy inside, rounded on
back, sheathed together at base to appear flattened but oval; the cigar-looking blossom is
very densely packed with tiny flowers, male flowers in top cluster, female flowers in bottom
cluster. Roots grow horizontally. If there is a gap between the male and female parts of the plant
it is T. angustifolia, or the narrow leaf cattail. If the male and female parts of the plant meet, it is
T. latifolia, the common cattail.

TIME OF YEAR: Spikes, pollen and flowers in the spring, bottoms of stalks and root year best in
fall and spring.

ENVIRONMENT: Grows where it is wet, rivers, ponds, ditches, lakes, close to shore or farther
out.

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Numerous, boiled immature and mature flowers, pollen in bread,
stalks as a trail nibble, root starch for sustenance, root stems shoots as vegetables. The roots
can be boiled and the starch stripped or sucked off the fibers. They can be dried, the starch
grated off the fibers and the starch used as flour. You can crush the roots in water, let the starch
settle, pour off the water, then use the starch. Or you can but the roots on embers and roast until
black, then peel the black layer off and chew or such the starch off the fibers. Also the core of
the roots can be roasted until dry and used as a coffee substitute.
Scalloped Cattails
Take two cups of chooped cattail tops and put them into a bowl with two beaten eggs, one-half
cup melted butter, one-half teaspoon each sugar and nutmeg and black pepper. Blend well and
add slowly one cup of scalded milk to the cattail mixture and blended. Pour the mixture into a
greased casserole and top with grated Swiss cheese optional and add a dab of butter.
Bake 275 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cattail Pollen Biscuits

The green bloom spikes turn a bright yellow as they become covered with pollen. Put a large
plastic bag over the head (or tail) and shake. The pollen is very fine, resembling a curry-colored
talc powder. Pancakes, muffins and cookies are excellent by substituting pollen for the wheat
flour in any recipe. Cattail Pollen Biscuits: Mix a quarter cup of cattail pollen, one and three-
quarters cup of flour, three teaspoons baking powder, one teaspoon salt, four tablespoons
shortening, and three quarters a cup of milk. Bake, after cutting out biscuits, in 425-degree oven
for 20 minutes. For an even more golden tone, you may add an additional quarter cup of pollen.

Cattail Pollen Pancakes

Mix one-half cup pollen, one-half cup flour, two tablespoons baking powder, one teaspoon salt,
one egg, one cup of milk, three tablespoon bacon drippings. Pour into a hot skillet or griddle in
dollar, four-inch pancake amounts.

Cattail Casserole
Two cups scrapped spikes, one cup bread crumbs, one egg, beaten, one-half cup milk, salt and
pepper, one onion diced, one-half cup shredded cheddar cheese. Combine all ingredients in a
casseroles dish and place in an oven set to 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Serve when hot.

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Tagged as: Cat O' Nine Tails, cattails, Typha angustifolia, Typha gracilis, Typha latifolia

{ 26 comments read them below or add one }

Evelyn March 20, 2016 at 12:45

I read this article and immediately went and got some cattail roots, crushed them with
water and left it over night the starch settled out, it seems to be working fine.

Reply
 Sheldon February 16, 2016 at 11:21

At, what time of the year, can you take the Cigar and make the Cattail Casserole? Two
cups scrapped spikes It is winter, here in Maine and I see the Fluff in the swamps around
here. Can I go in there and start collecting?

Reply

Green Deane February 17, 2016 at 09:00

Yes, but I think that is young folks trying to find ways to use the fluff. It really doesnt
taste or digest that easily.

Reply

haile iyasus October 22, 2015 at 14:01

love tho

Reply

Tim October 19, 2015 at 12:51

A new plant has recently begun growing in my pond. Im not sure if its cattail or not but it is
spreading very rapidly. It hasnt sent up any flower stalk yet so I dont know what it is for
certain. The leaves dont stand up straight. They flop over instead. From all the cattails Ive
ever seen, the leaves stick up mostly. Also, theres really nothing for roots. Just a jumble of
fine roots. I cant find anything that looks like it might be big enough to be starch bearing. I
need to start pulling this plant up because it will take over my pond in 5 years easily.

Reply

Deepak Hathiraman, Blantyre, Malawi. September 30, 2015 at 07:13

I am interested in growing cattails for their starch, please advise the best way to grow
them and which variety would be better and safe.
What yield should one expect. I am based in Malawi Africa. We have the best terrain. Can
you reply on my email.

Reply

BGreggJ July 29, 2015 at 20:22

I remember having cattails on a camping trip to Mt. Washington, when I was a kid;
however, I dont recall how they were prepared. I want to say we cooked the tails (er,
flowers) like corn on the cob, and then served them up with butter, salt, & pepper.

Does that sound like it might work, and how would I know when my tails are done
cooking?? now, that Id be doing the cooking by myself.

Reply

P Gokey April 23, 2015 at 12:13

Cattails are my childrens favorite wild plant food. Theyre now in the 40s but still seek out
cattails every spring. If you intend on trying the roots, bring along a back-hoe. The roots
are deep and youll generally be digging in mud. Euell Gibbons is the best source for
harvesting and preparing information. Judging by the comments before me, some of the
commenters do not have a knowledge of the plant. The top part of the flower, before it
emerges from the leaves, is the best part of the plant. It will later release pollen. The
bottom part of the flower is the fall cattails that people collect for flower arrangementsnot
so good to eat. The shoots and part of the stalk are delicious. And if you live in Wisconsin
you have a supermarket in almost every marsh. Did you know that Horicon Marsh is the
largest cattail marsh in the world?
Phil G

Reply

Teri January 28, 2015 at 14:19

Hi
I would like to experiment with some cattail starch. I am working on artwork using only
natural local sources for ingredients. Cattail paper is one of my venturesI can gather my
own starch when the ground thaws. Everything is a bit bound up up here in Wisconsin.
Can anyone tell me where I could get a pound or so?

Reply

s Jarvis November 4, 2014 at 12:14

Hello, trying cattail root for the first time as I type. I have a small pot boiling right now and It
smelled nice I sipped the water and decided to add some salt, I think it would make an
excellent broth for soup.
So far a succesful food experiment.

Reply
 EA Johnson September 18, 2014 at 16:02

I heard that in Vietnam cattails are used for cooking like we use celery. Is that correct?

Reply

Green Deane September 18, 2014 at 18:27

They might be but they are milder in flavor than celery.

Reply

Alison July 10, 2014 at 22:06

I used to be a fan of Euell Gibbons years ago. He is gone now but not forgotten. Im sure
that he wrote about preparing the brown tops (before the fluff bursts out) like a corn on the
cob: buttering, cover w/ foil, and barbecue or baking them. Has anyone tried that?

Reply

Green Deane July 11, 2014 at 07:24

Yes, while they are green that is done often. Some folks are using the brown fluff in
some recipes.

Reply

Jerry October 18, 2015 at 07:01

yes i have, I also was a fan of Euell Gibbons, you can boil or roast the green tops
and eat them just like corn, very tasty!

Reply

Erin August 26, 2013 at 11:49

Green Deane

We talked about this a bit in the forum, but I wanted to let people know that I figured out a
way to use brown cattail and make it taste really good by making tweaks to your the
scalloped cattail recipe.
As we discussed, the challenge of cooking with brown cattail, is the texture. However, its
exactly that funky texture that makes it a perfect for a veggie meat substitute! After mixing
with eggs and spices, blending and baking, the fibers bind in a way that really mimics
muscle texture.

I used mine to make vegetarian pulled pork BBQ tacos and my whole family, including my
10 year old, loved it!

The recipe I whipped up is here if anyones interested! (

http://www.smartlivingnetwork.com/food/b/gastronomics-foraged-cattail-vegetarian-pulled-
pork-barbeque-recipe/ )

Reply

Rick Howd May 14, 2013 at 00:15

Cattails are used in many polluted water ways to filter and cleanse the water. They grow
well near the dump next to the river here.
I dont know what they retain during the filter processs so I collect elsewhere. Like
anything we intend to eat consider the source, in most places it likely not worse than what
we find int the store.
Ive recently found a 10 acre patch unabused since the 60s; Im looking forward to several
good trips this year.

Reply

Fritz March 18, 2014 at 17:34

Wow. 10 acres where? Im lucky to find a tenth of an acre here in the Willamette
valley here in Oregon. Ive heard there are much more to the south near Eugene.
Where are you located? I heard there are dense and extensive areas just south of
the Great Lakes.

Reply

anonymous January 6, 2013 at 10:16

I liked the article, however, I wish you could show how to prepare cattails in short a video.
A video recipe if you will. Also, should a person be concerned about eating these in a
location that is also close to residential areas. Are there common pollutants or concerns
about pollutants in cattails? I am told our towns name is said to mean Great Swamp,
with people in such close proximity to the cattails, should this make me nervous?

Reply
 Green Deane January 6, 2013 at 20:44

I do have one video on preparing cattails. And cattails can pick up pollutants so it is
best to harvest them from wholesome water.

Reply

Erin August 19, 2013 at 12:20

Hey Green Deane!

Im wondering about your recipe for scalloped cattail. This is the only recipe
Ive found that calls for brown cattail tops. Most other sites say they are
inedible is this simply because most find the texture unpalatable? Ive read
that the green immature cattail heads are quite nutritious. Do any nutrients
remain in the grown mature cattail heads?

Reply

Green Deane August 19, 2013 at 15:21

That is a misprint. I will correct it. Use green female tops.

Reply

Laura LaFleur April 17, 2012 at 00:56

Hi, I just wanted to say I really appreciate this article! A friend posted the video on my
facebook group (Lewis County Foragers), and I liked it so much I decided to come to your
site. I can see this is going to be one of my favorite sources for information. Thank you for
doing what you do so well.

Reply

Byron Hager September 28, 2016 at 09:45

Very informative!!

Reply

greg January 6, 2012 at 14:13

 Excellent and very true. I find it also terrific for friction fires and a a source for ember
carrying. Keep up the good work.

Reply

Robert M. November 15, 2011 at 13:00

I like to use the dried out Cattail leaves for coil basket material but I would rather used
Yucca leaf strips or other bark strips for the binding. Green cattail does shrink when it dries
out. Its leaf strength for cordage is poor but alright for light use. Some folks use Cattail
stalks for hand drills used on certain other very soft woods like Yucca stem. I am no good
with the hand drill which uses up a lot of energy. The firebow or bow drill is my favorite
friction method and is more efficient and I have a higher percentage of success with it.
Cattail is great with loads of uses.

Reply

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